Headend Patents (Class 725/144)
  • Patent number: 11949451
    Abstract: An underwater communication system, wherein the underwater communication system is capable of increasing a data transmission through a visible light between a surface and underwater of a swimming pool and an underwater communication method providing the data transmission between the surface and the underwater of the swimming pool are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: OZYEGIN UNIVERSITESI
    Inventors: Mehmet Reha Civanlar, Murat Uysal
  • Patent number: 11914723
    Abstract: Systems and methods for managing hardware privacy configuration in modern workspaces are described. In an embodiment, an Information Handling System (IHS) may include a processor and a memory coupled to the processor, the memory having program instructions stored thereon that, upon execution, cause the IHS to: receive, at a workspace privacy agent, a first hardware privacy request from a first application executed within a first workspace instantiated by a local management agent; and execute the first hardware privacy request.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: Dell Products, L.P.
    Inventors: Vivek Viswanathan Iyer, Daniel L. Hamlin
  • Patent number: 11910052
    Abstract: A cable television (CATV) entry adapter connects to a CATV network and serves as a hub in an In-Home Entertainment (IHE) network. IHE signals may be communicated between passive and active ports of an embodiment of the entry adapter through a pair of directional couplers which allow an IRE-enabled embedded multimedia terminal device (eMTA) at the passive port to communicate with multimedia devices of the IHE network connected to the active ports. An IHE frequency rejection filter is used in some embodiments to confine IHE signal to a single subscriber premise. In some embodiments a bidirectional IHE bandpass filter is used to enable IHE signals to pass between the passive and active ports of the CATV entry adapter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: PPC BROADBAND, INC.
    Inventors: Chad T. Wells, John M. Egan, Jr., Gregory F. Halik, Charles F. Newby
  • Patent number: 11841984
    Abstract: Utilizing a non-repeating identifier to encrypt data, including: receiving a request to write data to a storage device; selecting a segment-offset pair where the data will be stored, where the selected segment-offset pair is unique to every other segment-offset pair utilized during the lifetime of the storage device; and encrypting the data in dependence upon an identifier of the segment-offset pair.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: PURE STORAGE, INC.
    Inventors: John Colgrove, Mark L. McAuliffe, Ethan L. Miller, Naveen Neelakantam, Marco Sanvido, Neil A. Vachharajani, Taher Vohra
  • Patent number: 11802955
    Abstract: A fin-type planar antenna and a deployable dipole antenna are combined into a probabilistic system as a co-located orthogonal diversity fin antenna to reduce or eliminate cross polarization fades and cancellation dropouts common to wireless audio systems used in theaters, churches and convention centers over coaxial wired connections. Additionally, an optical line may connect the diversity fin antenna to a further circuit. The antenna system features broad bandwidth, resistance to deep nulls or fades caused by cross polarization, resistance to destructive interference, and an air space dielectric covering provides resistance to detuning in the presence of rain, or touching objects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2023
    Assignee: RF VENUE, INC.
    Inventor: Robert J. Crowley
  • Patent number: 11804856
    Abstract: A digital system, components and method are configured with nonvolatile memory for storing digital data using codewords. The data is stored in the memory using multiple bits per memory cell of the memory. A code efficiency, for purposes of write operations and read operations relating to the memory, can be changed on a codeword to codeword basis based on input parameters. The code efficiency can change based on changing any one of the input parameters including bit density that is stored by the memory. Storing and reading fractional bit densities is described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2023
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert B. Eisenhuth, Stephen P. Van Aken
  • Patent number: 11388314
    Abstract: An image capture device may receive GPS data during capture of video frames. GPS data may be used to increase accuracy of GPS time of the image capture device. GPS time of the image capture device at a later moment in the capture duration may be used to determine the times of earlier captured video frames.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: GoPro, Inc.
    Inventor: David Newman
  • Patent number: 11350000
    Abstract: In order to achieve designation of a talk room of a chat service to share image data generated by scanning in an image processing apparatus, the image processing apparatus that communicates with a chat server, based on received information indicating a talk room of the chat server, the chat server controlling displaying of information indicating received image data on the talk room, includes a scanning unit configured to scan an image of an original document and generate image data based on the image, a designation unit configured to designate a talk room of the chat server, and a transmission unit configured to transmit the image data generated by the scanning unit and information indicating the talk room designated by the designation unit to the chat server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshihiro Tsukada, Hikaru Sugita
  • Patent number: 11207608
    Abstract: A computer system and method for synchronizing actions associated with media between a media/network device and peripherals. In an example implementation, a system includes a one or more processors configured to receive, by a communication module from a media/network device based on peripheral addressing information, a peripheral payload including a first set of actions and timing information related to media. The one or more processors perform the first set of actions based on the peripheral payload, generate response data for the first set of actions, and transmit the response data to the media/network device via a wireless network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: OPENTV, INC.
    Inventors: Claes Georg Andersson, John Michael Teixeira, Nicholas Daniel Doerring, Nicholas Fishwick, Colin Reed Miller
  • Patent number: 10917685
    Abstract: An entry device for communicating external network signals between an in-home network and an external network. The entry device includes a signal blocking and communication device in communication with an input port, a first network port, and a second network port. The signal blocking and communication device is configured to transmit the external network signals bidirectionally between the input port and the first network port, block in-home network signals from transmission from the first network port to the input port, while allowing the external network signals to be transmitted to the input port, block the in-home network signals from transmission to the input port, while allowing the external network signals to be transmitted to the input port, and transmit the in-home network signals between the first network port and the second network port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2021
    Assignee: PPC BROADBAND, INC.
    Inventors: Chad T. Wells, John M. Egan, Jr., Gregory F. Halik, Charles F. Newby
  • Patent number: 10873570
    Abstract: A peer-to-peer system and method for efficient replication of and access to application specific environments and their data that includes automatically accessing application specific metadata to determine the location of application specific data and then replicating or providing access to the application metadata and data to a set of peers. A system and method for efficient replication of and access to application specific environments and data that includes automatically accessing a source application's metadata to determine the location of the source application's data and then automatically transferring and transferring the application metadata and data to a target application's metadata and data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2020
    Inventor: Imran Chaudhri
  • Patent number: 10727761
    Abstract: In a motor drive system with inverter parallel connection, a laying cable impedance is identified by a test pulse, and a cross current suppression control gain is optimized to provide a power conversion apparatus that does not require a coupling reactor. In the motor drive system 1 in which the outputs of A-bank and B-bank inverters 20A and 20B are connected in parallel, a test pulse is outputted from the drive control unit 30 provided with the PWM controller 33 to the A and B bank inverters before operation. The laying cable impedance is identified from the DC voltage Vdc at the time of test pulse output and the response currents IA and IB. An adjustment gain is calculated from the ratio of installed cable impedance to specified cable impedance. Then, the proportional gain KP is multiplied to optimize the adjustment gain, and an on-delay time based on the optimized adjustment gain GL×KP is calculated during operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: Toshiba Mitsubishi-Electric Industrial Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Chikara Morito, Hiromitsu Suzuki
  • Patent number: 10168974
    Abstract: A continuous glucose monitor for wirelessly transmitting data relating to glucose value to a plurality of displays is disclosed, as well as systems and methods for limiting the number of display devices that can connect to a continuous glucose transmitter. In addition, security, including hashing techniques and a changing application key, can be used to provide secure communications between the continuous glucose transmitter and the displays. Also provided is a continuous glucose monitor and techniques for authenticating multiple displays, providing secure data transmissions to multiple displays, and coordinating the interaction of commands and data updates between multiple displays.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: DexCom, Inc.
    Inventors: Hari Hampapuram, Eric Cohen, Brian Christopher Smith, Jose Hector Hernandez-Rosas, Francis William Pascual, Michael Robert Mensinger, Shawn Larvenz
  • Patent number: 9973803
    Abstract: A video streaming service system may include a home media sever configured to send wireless network information to a dongle device when the dongle device is connected to the home media server and the dongle device configured to receive the wireless network information from the home media server and maintain the connection with a home network by configuring the received wireless network information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: HUMAX CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Sung Heum Park
  • Patent number: 9942068
    Abstract: Devices and methods for enabling the use of legacy-equipment in light of evolving and conflicting standards used by new-equipment are provided. When a standard for transmission on a network conflicts with an existing standard, legacy-equipment, which uses the existing standard, may prevent the implementation of new-equipment, which uses a new or updated standard, on the network. Although many standards strive for backwards compatibility or interoperability with other standards, not all standards are compatible, or they achieve backwards compatibility by disabling features of new-equipment until legacy-equipment has been upgraded or removed from the network. Devices and methods therefore are provided to isolate legacy-equipment and new-equipment so that the new features of evolving standards may be implemented for new-equipment without materially impacting the operation of legacy-equipment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: COX COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
    Inventor: Christopher James Topazi
  • Patent number: 9900749
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a method, performed by at least one apparatus. The method may include obtaining new opportunity signal data pertaining to an opportunity signal source and indicating opportunity signal values for particular locations at a site; obtaining previous opportunity signal data pertaining to said opportunity signal source and indicating opportunity signal values for particular locations at said site; comparing at least a part of said opportunity signal values of said new opportunity signal data pertaining to said opportunity signal source of said site and said opportunity signal values of said previous opportunity signal data pertaining to said opportunity signal source of said site for corresponding locations at said site; and classifying said opportunity signal source based at least in part on said comparing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Assignee: HERE Global B.V.
    Inventors: Lauri Wirola, Jari Tapani Syrjarinne, Muhammad Irshan Khan, Pavel Ivanov
  • Patent number: 9686259
    Abstract: A peer-to-peer system and method for efficient replication of and access to application specific environments and their data that includes automatically accessing application specific metadata to determine the location of application specific data and then replicating or providing access to the application metadata and data to a set of peers. A system and method for efficient replication of and access to application specific environments and data that includes automatically accessing a source application's metadata to determine the location of the source application's data and then automatically transferring and transforming the application metadata and data to a target application's metadata and data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2017
    Inventor: Imran Chaudhri
  • Patent number: 9591359
    Abstract: Control circuitry may identify an image corresponding to a media asset, where the image comprises a plurality of portions, and where each portion of the plurality of portions comprises a respective entity. The image identified by control circuitry may include several portions, where each portion includes a respective entity. Control circuitry may determine an identity of each respective entity in each respective portion of the plurality of portions. Control circuitry may then access a database to determine a level of prevalence of each identity in the media asset. Based on these identifications, control circuitry may determine which respective entity corresponds to a highest level of prevalence (e.g., with respect to the other entities), and may generate for display a respective portion comprising the respective entity that corresponds to the highest level of prevalence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: ROVI GUIDES, INC.
    Inventors: Aaron Peter Blohowiak, Walter R. Klappert, Michael R. Nichols, Olivier Chalouhi
  • Patent number: 9191082
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method of transmitting broadcast signals. The method includes, formatting input streams into Data Pipe, DP, data; Low-Density Parity-Check, LDPC, encoding the DP data according to a code rate; bit interleaving the LDPC encoded DP data; mapping the bit interleaved DP data onto constellations according to one of QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation), NUQ (Non-Uniform QAM) or NUC (Non-Uniform Constellation); Multi-Input Multi-Output, MIMO, encoding the mapped DP data by using a MIMO encoding matrix having a MIMO encoding parameter; building at least one signal frame by mapping the MIMO encoded DP data; and modulating data in the built signal frame by an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing, OFDM, method and transmitting the broadcast signals having the modulated data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Jinyong Choi, Byounggill Kim, Woochan Kim, Jaehyung Kim, Woosuk Ko, Sungryong Hong, Chulkyu Mun, Jaeho Hwang, Jongseob Baek, Kookyeon Kwak, Sangchul Moon
  • Patent number: 9041812
    Abstract: Real-time access by a requestor to surveillance video is conditionally pre-authorized dependent on the existence of at least one pre-specified automatically detectable condition, and recorded in a data processing system. A requestor subsequently requests real-time access to the surveillance video (e.g., as a result of an alarm), and if the pre-specified automatically detectable condition is met, access is automatically granted, i.e., without the need for manual intervention. An automatically detectable condition could, e.g., be an alarm condition detected by a sensor at the site of the video surveillance. Alternatively, it could be a locational proximity of the requestor to the site of the video surveillance. Alternatively, it could be a previously defined time interval.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Ronald L. Billau, Vincenzo V. Di Luoffo, Dan P. Dumarot, Matthew J. Paschal, Brandon W. Schulz, James E. Woodbury
  • Patent number: 9043859
    Abstract: A unified system of programming communication. The system encompasses the prior art (television, radio, broadcast hardcopy, computer communications, etc.) and new user specific mass media. Within the unified system, parallel processing computer systems, each having an input (e.g., 77) controlling a plurality of computers (e.g., 205), generate and output user information at receiver stations. Under broadcast control, local computers (73, 205), combine user information selectively into prior art communications to exhibit personalized mass media programming at video monitors (202), speakers (263), printers (221), etc. At intermediate transmission stations (e.g., cable television stations), signals in network broadcasts and from local inputs (74, 77, 97, 98) cause control processors (71) and computers (73) to selectively automate connection and operation of receivers (53), recorder/players (76), computers (73), generators (82), strippers (81), etc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignee: Personalized Media Communications, LLC
    Inventors: John Christopher Harvey, James William Cuddihy
  • Patent number: 9027062
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for the delivery of digital content in a network. In one embodiment, the digital content comprises internet content received from an Internet host server in a first container format, and converted to a second container format at a headend entity of a cable television or satellite network. The headend entity transmits the re-containerized content to one or more consumer devices, and acts as a gateway device between the consumer devices and various internet content sources. Delivery of internet content from the gateway device can be via broadcast, nPVR, DVR and/or VOD delivery mechanisms. The internet content gateway device is adapted to request, receive and process the internet content. Requests for internet content may be made from either a CPE or the gateway device itself according to one or more rules. The content may also be selectively transcoded before re-encapsulation based on the consumer device capabilities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC
    Inventors: Vipul Patel, David Chen, Scott Miller, Mehul Shah
  • Patent number: 9008489
    Abstract: Extraction of scenes of interest from video content is disclosed, which includes: collecting comments from a comment server, which contain keywords associated with the video content; segmenting the video content into scenes; measuring the number of ones of the comments which were posted for each scene, as a post count; detecting ones of the scenes, each of which has the post count equal to or larger than a predetermined number, as a plurality of scenes of interest; extracting, per each scene-of-interest, at least one of the keywords which is contained in the comments with a number equal to or larger than a pre-selected number, as a comment keyword; and tagging each scene of interest with the comment keyword, per each scene-of-interest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2015
    Assignee: KDDI Corporation
    Inventors: Masami Nakazawa, Keiichiro Hoashi, Chihiro Ono
  • Patent number: 9003464
    Abstract: A method of verifying a blackout event is disclosed that includes receiving blackout event data from an event log database of a video distribution platform at a subscriber event transmission interface (SETI) communicating with an electronic data warehouse (EDW) system. The method also includes creating at least one EDW load-ready file that includes at least a portion of the blackout event data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Kenneth Ospalik, Daniel Malee, Jeffrey Dicks, John Mathew
  • Patent number: 9003463
    Abstract: Segmentation messages indicative of locations of upcoming events, such as the start and end of programs and program portions, and/or rights related to the programs and program portions, are used by cable systems and the like to store programs and program portions for later retrieval and transmission to customers on request. Storage, retrieval and management of programming is thereby facilitated. Methods and systems are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC
    Inventors: John B. Carlucci, Louis D. Williamson, John W. Callahan, Erik G. Urdang, David M. Kimble, Thomas Gonder, Joseph Buehl
  • Patent number: 8966565
    Abstract: A method includes detecting, at a video head-end of a video distribution network, a signal populating an ultra high frequency white space frequency. The method includes determining that the ultra high frequency white space frequency is one of a plurality of ultra high frequency white space frequencies with a potential to interfere with video traffic at the video head-end. The method also includes sending an alert from the video head-end to a network management system. The alert indicates the potential of the signal to interfere with video traffic delivered via the video head-end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: James Huffman, Douglas Medina, Darren Kaufman
  • Patent number: 8959559
    Abstract: A content distribution system that is supplied with power from a plurality of power sources having different environmental loads and that distributes content to a content playback apparatus connected via a communication circuit, the content distribution system distributing content with respect to a content distribution request from the content playback apparatus with a service quality that is determined so as to suppress the environmental load by the power supplied from the plurality of power sources to a predetermined environmental load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2015
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hideki Nishimura, Jiro Kiyama
  • Patent number: 8931020
    Abstract: Method for remote management of at least one audiovisual information reproduction device comprising a host server connected to each audiovisual information reproduction device, the host server comprising a database containing management information for each audiovisual information reproduction device, wherein the host server also comprises a site manager communicating with the database, and comprising a number of screens, at least one first screen comprising a menu displaying the list of audiovisual information reproduction systems, validating the choice of each audiovisual information reproduction device causing the display of a first series of screens that the operator can use to modify the operating parameters of at least one selected audiovisual information reproduction device and/or a second series of screens that the operator can use to order at least one song for downloading onto the audiovisual information reproduction systems from a chosen list of devices or to delete at least one song, and/or a thir
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: TouchTunes Music Corporation
    Inventors: Guy Nathan, Tony Mastronardi, Jean-Marc Bourdelais
  • Patent number: 8893206
    Abstract: Segmentation messages indicative of locations of upcoming events, such as the start and end of programs and program portions, and/or rights related to the programs and program portions, are used by cable systems and the like to store programs and program portions for later retrieval and transmission to customers on request. Storage, retrieval and management of programming is thereby facilitated. Methods and systems are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC
    Inventors: John B. Carlucci, Louis D. Williamson, John W. Callahan, Erik G. Urdang, David M. Kimble, Thomas Gonder, Joseph Buehl
  • Patent number: 8893165
    Abstract: A system and method for cleaning television viewing behavior data collected from set top boxes by detecting and correcting various problems that can occur in the viewing data. Three problems that may be detected and corrected by the system include: overflows of memory buffers; inclusion of non-human generated tuning events; and presence of clock offsets. After cleaning the television viewing behavior data, the cleaned data may be used to analyze audience viewing behavior in a manner that achieves a higher degree of accuracy than can be achieved by using uncleaned television viewing behavior data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Assignee: Rentrak Corporation
    Inventors: Kim Hadfield, Amir Yazdani, Aaron Harsh, Maria Loper, Michael Vinson
  • Patent number: 8881215
    Abstract: A system and method are described below for encoding interactive low-latency video using interframe coding. For example, one embodiment of a computer-implemented method for performing video compression comprises: detecting a maximum data rate of a communication channel between a server and a client; dynamically selecting a tile size for encoding a sequence of images based on the detected maximum data rate; logically subdividing each of the sequence of images into a plurality of tiles sized according to the selected tile size, each of the tiles having a defined position within each of the sequence of images; encoding each tile within each image of the sequence of images using a first compression format or a second compression format, wherein a tile at a particular position of a first image in the sequence of images is encoded using the first compression format and the same tile within one or more subsequent images is encoded using the second compression format.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: OL2, Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen G. Perlman, Roger van der Laan
  • Patent number: 8881217
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a media content processing subsystem within a plurality of media content processing subsystems configured to receive transmissions of media content instances from a media content provider by way of a network sends a shared content request to the media content provider, the request being for a media content instance included in the transmissions of media content instances from the media content provider. The request is configured to cause the media content provider to identify at least one other media content processing subsystem within the plurality of media content processing subsystems that is able to provide the media content instance to the media content processing subsystem, and instruct the at least one other media content processing subsystem to transmit, to the media content processing subsystem, the media content instance received by the at least one other media content processing subsystem from the media content provider.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Inc.
    Inventors: Heath Stallings, Brian F. Roberts, Donald H. Relyea
  • Patent number: 8875206
    Abstract: A method and system includes a central location 100 registering a portable device 36 with a central location 100 and generating a conditional access signal corresponding to the portable device 36 in response to registering and transmitting the conditional access signal to a storage device controller. A set top box or storage device controller 28 receives the conditional access signal and enables a transfer of a file. The portable device 36 receives the file when coupled to the set top box in response to the conditional access signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Jorge H. Guzman, Brian D. Jupin
  • Patent number: 8839310
    Abstract: Data for one, or more, services is encoded using a scalable channel code and divided for transmission over N transmitters such that reception by a receiver of at least M of the transmitted signals, where M<N, enables recovery of the data by the receiver. In other words, even if reception for any one particular transmitted signal in a defined geographical region is not guaranteed, reception of at least M of the other transmitted signals enables reception of the service(s). Thus, one, or more, services can be offered across an entire geographical area notwithstanding the existence of areas of poor, or no, reception.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing
    Inventor: Kumar Ramaswamy
  • Patent number: 8839322
    Abstract: A trigger manager and related processes and systems for managing triggers for a plurality of subscribing set-top boxes in an interactive television environment are provided. In response to receipt of a configuration update request originating from a specific set-top box, the trigger manager accesses a database of subscribing set-top box profiles associating subscribing set-top boxes with respective sets of triggers. The database is processed based on the configuration update request to identify a profile associated with the specific set-top box from which the configuration update request originated. Trigger update information associated with the identified profile is transmitted over a network to the specific set-top box from which the configuration update request originated. In response to receipt at the specific set-top box of the trigger update information, the set of current triggers in the memory unit is updated at least in part based on the information received.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: BCE Inc.
    Inventors: Jean Bouchard, David Merritt, Roger Ruiz-Carrillo
  • Patent number: 8826328
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and system to communicate primary and secondary content streams to at least one remote unit, for example, via a television channel in a targeted television environment. The secondary content stream comprises a plurality of tertiary content streams (e.g., video streams) providing commercials, advertisements or any other content. The tertiary content streams are included in the secondary content stream as a mosaic so that each tertiary content stream is a subset or portion of an active display area or frame provided by the single secondary content stream. In on exemplary embodiment, the method and system provide targeted or specific commercial advertisements to demographically selected audiences.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: OpenTV, Inc.
    Inventor: Joel Zdepski
  • Patent number: 8826352
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for providing information in conjunction with media content, including a receiver, wherein the receiver receives at least one of a transmission of media content and a broadcast of media content, wherein the media content includes at least one of broadcast media content and entertainment media content, and further wherein the receiver receives information regarding the media content, a processor for processing at least one of the received media content and the received information regarding the media content, a display device for visually displaying the information regarding the media content, and/or a speaker device for audibly announcing the information regarding the media content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: Poltorak Media LLC
    Inventor: Alexander I. Poltorak
  • Patent number: 8826365
    Abstract: A media playout system for playing out media to receiver units, the system comprising: a broadcast data channel; a playout arrangement for broadcasting over the broadcast data channel enhanced content data associated with video data; a distribution unit for receiving the broadcast data and distributing it to the receiver units, and comprising a buffer for storing enhanced content data, and a transmission controller responsive to signalling from the playout arrangement to retrieve enhanced content data from the buffer and make it available to the receiver units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: UPC Broadband Operations BV
    Inventor: Robert Van Noetsele
  • Patent number: 8819758
    Abstract: A system and method are described for providing interactive television services and for switching between television programs, such as to an interactive program session from another program. An interactive server, capable of providing requested interactive video services to a set of subscribers in a given geographic area, is coupled to a network to which subscriber set top boxes are also coupled. Television programming, which may be furnished by any number of sources, is accompanied by a signal that indicates the availability of other programming, such as interactive television service related to the program being viewed, as well as information to be used in requesting such service. The user, when notified by this signal, may input to the set top box a request for a second program, such as an interactive program or application. The identity of the original program channel is stored, and a session with the video service provider is established over the network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Wayne R. Howe, Fred Thomas Danner, III, John R. Mauney
  • Patent number: 8806545
    Abstract: Methods and systems for facilitating distribution of content are disclosed. In one example embodiment, a method of facilitating demand-driven population and management of online content within a video-on-demand (VOD) service includes receiving trend information and a link reference at one or more input ports, the reference being at least indirectly indicative of a location at which the content is available, and obtaining and normalizing, by way of one or more processing devices, metadata pertaining to the content. The method further includes determining business rule information pertaining to the content based at least indirectly upon the trend information, content provider policy information, and the normalized metadata, via the processing device(s), and outputting via one or more output ports the business rule information for receipt by the VOD service, whereby availability and prioritization of the content at the VOD service is based at least in part upon the output business rule information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: Motorola Mobility LLC
    Inventors: Nitya Narasimhan, Harry Bliss, Joseph Wodka
  • Patent number: 8804035
    Abstract: A method and system for communicating text descriptive data has a receiving device that receives a data signal having text description data corresponding to a description of a video signal. A text-to-speech converter associated with the receiving device converts the text description data to a first audio signal. A display device in communication with the text-to-speech converter converts the first audio signal associated with the receiving device to an audible signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Scott D. Casavant, Brian D. Jupin, Stephen P. Dulac
  • Patent number: 8793754
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a transmission apparatus, including: an application data transmission section adapted to transmit data of an application for HbbTV; and an table transmission section adapted to transmit an table including an application profile which represents one or more additional functions to the application and is configured from a first bit region of high-order n bits and a second bit region of lower-order (16-n) bits which represent presence or absence of functions allocated to bit positions thereof with a bitmap structure and wherein, in the first bit region, values for changing over the functions to be allocated to the bit positions in the second bit region are set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshiharu Dewa, Naohisa Kitazato
  • Patent number: 8752111
    Abstract: An exemplary system includes a content delivery subsystem configured to receive media content from a content provider and transmit the media content over a network to a content processing subsystem configured to process and provide the media content for presentation to an end user. The content delivery subsystem is further configured to maintain resource data associated with at least one of the media content and the content provider, make at least a subset of the resource data available to the content processing subsystem for inclusion in an end user interface, provide a content customization portal for access by the content provider, authenticate the content provider accessing the content customization portal, receive custom content from the authenticated content provider via the content customization portal, validate the custom content, and provide the custom content to the content processing subsystem for inclusion in the end user interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Inc.
    Inventors: Brian Roberts, Heath Stallings, Don Relyea
  • Patent number: 8732787
    Abstract: Methods in an access node for establishing digital media streams between a media server and terminals in a customer premises network are provided. The method includes receiving, from the terminal, a request for establishing a first digital media stream by joining an already established digital media stream; determining transmission resources allocated to the customer premises network; comparing a sum of transmission resources required for the first digital media stream and the already established digital media streams between the media server and the customer premises network with the transmission resources allocated to the customer premises network; and establishing a digital substitution media stream replacing the first digital media stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Telefonatiebolaget L M Ericsscon (publ)
    Inventors: Torben Melsen, Ulf Fredrik Jonsson
  • Patent number: 8732786
    Abstract: A distributed stream processing system including a plurality of storage devices, at least one of which is configured to process at least one segment of a data stream, thereby producing a changed segment of the data stream, and provide output of at least the changed segment of the data stream, and a server configured to accept the output of the storage devices and combine the output into a transport stream. A method for combining a plurality of data streams including using one or more storage devices for processing at least one segment of a data stream, thereby producing a changed segment of the data stream, and providing output of at least the changed segment of the data stream, and combining the output of the storage devices into a combined data stream. Related apparatus and methods are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Fabrix TV Ltd.
    Inventors: Nir Drang, Tomer Amiaz, Ram Ben-Yakir
  • Patent number: 8732750
    Abstract: This invention discloses a method for displaying advertisements transmitted to a user unit, the method includes receiving, at the user unit, at least one advertisement tagged with a delay tag indicating whether display of the at least one advertisement can be delayed and only if the delay tag allows delaying display of the at least one advertisement, storing the at least one advertisement at the user unit, retrieving the at least one advertisement and displaying the at least one advertisement. A billing system for reporting a commercial broadcast to a multiplicity of users is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Reuven Wachtfogel, Jonathan Maissel, Moshe Kranc, David Richardson, Ezra Darshan, Ron Katz, Yossi Tsuria, Sam Michelson, Mika Krause, Steve Epstein, Moshe Shlissel, Doron Handelman, Shlomo Kipnis, Chaim Shen-Orr
  • Patent number: 8726332
    Abstract: A broadcast programming delivery apparatus includes: a broadcast programming delivery control unit that controls broadcast programming delivery based on a broadcast programming delivery program formed of a plurality of items; and a switcher being controlled by the control unit, and a plurality of output channels of a material server having the plurality of output channels for outputting a video material being connected to predetermined input lines of the switcher, wherein the items include control data of the switcher having information for specifying a video material of the material server, and the control unit receives, from the material server, channel material information indicating a video material outputted from each of the output channels, and allows an input bus of the switcher necessary to take an input of a video material to select one of the input lines corresponding to the output channel from which the corresponding video material is outputted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Hideki Maegawa, Sensaburo Nakamura
  • Patent number: 8719883
    Abstract: A server (101) streams data coded by inter-frame prediction. The server (101) comprises: a transmission data generator (116) for causing an independently decodable key frame to be added with at least one difference frame following the key frame to create data of one transmission unit, and generating a buffering key frame added with information on the data of one transmission unit, the information including a frame number; and an output unit (114) for transmitting, with transmission timing of the key frame, a buffering key frame generated with a key frame that should be transmitted with the transmission timing, and transmitting an arbitrary frame with transmission timing of the difference frame. This can reduce buffering time for switching a terminal to play a stream between a plurality of terminals, allowing the switching to be done smoothly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2014
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Hidenori Ishii, Daisaku Komiya
  • Patent number: 8707373
    Abstract: An approach is provided for distributing multi-media information from a satellite broadcast system. A hub receives a signal from the satellite broadcast system, wherein the signal represents video information and audio information associated with multiple broadcast channels. The hub centrally demodulates and decodes the received signal for distribution to one of a number of access point devices. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the decoded signal represents uncompressed video and audio information corresponding to one of the broadcast channels. The access point devices convert the received decoded signal for output respective displays (e.g., television sets). The hub can also be equipped with an interface to provide access to a public data network, such as the global Internet. Further, the hub can be supplied with a digital video recording capability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Lin-Nan Lee, Mustafa Eroz, Feng-Wen Sun, John Corrigan, Walter Kepley, Kuriacose Joseph, Scott Casavant
  • Patent number: 8689275
    Abstract: There is disclosed in aspects of the invention a method of evaluating the profit of a substream of encoded video data, a method of operating servers, a network and an apparatus. In the method, a data portion is identified comprising at least some of the data in the substream being evaluated; comparing a decoded version of the video with the data portion present and a decoded version of the video with the data portion removed and calculating an error metric indicative of the distortion between the two versions; and, calculating a profit for the substream dependent upon the error metric.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: Xyratex Technology Limited
    Inventors: Richard James Haywood, Xiaohong Peng